In this post, Warwick Murphy, Executive Director of ISAAC Australasia shares the latest from his ministry and work:

In July this year myself, Warwick Murphy and my wife, June made the move from Melbourne, Australia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since 2008 we have been making regular trips from Melbourne to a variety of different places in the Asian region as representatives of the ISAAC regional leadership.

During that time we have visited China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, The Philippines, Mongolia and Indonesia. The purposes for such trips have been multi focussed.

To provide training to staff
We have been privileged to run training programs for a number of different agencies involved in drug and alcohol recovery work. A number of these groups are also involved in the fight against people trafficking, particularly in the areas of prostitution.

Providing evaluations of the different ministries
Evaluation is an opportunity to have an honest look at the whole running of an agency with the aim to improve the way we do things.

Providing advice and support for the leaders of these organisations
Some would call this mentoring. Too often leaders feel lonely and struggle with the constant demands on them. Often they have no one to discuss things with. We want to offer a listening ear and possibly some advice, if requested.

To assist the establishment of ISAAC networks in each country
Meeting with others doing the same work is so important. Not to compare your work with another, but to support each other as the Scriptures encourage us to do. Getting together on a regular basis is a great way to do this.

For some time we had sensed the Lord talking to us about making the move to actually live in the region. After much prayer and discussion with family and others we believed it was right to make the move. We chose Kuala Lumpur because it was fairly central and had good flight connections to the rest of Asia, plus we have good friends there which would make it somewhat easier to settle into a new culture. Thank you to Pax Tan and Kenneth Wong.

We have now been here for four months. In that time we have attended three different conferences in the region where we were able to make some good contacts, but most of the time has been getting ourselves settled and orientated to our new surroundings. Different food, different weather, different language and to say that there is different driving rules here is an understatement! However it is not for us to expect everything and everyone around us to change, it is for us to accept the differences and come to terms with them. It is a bit like going through a recovery period of our own. We have good days and not so good days. Each day is a day for calling out to God for His help. His grace, His patience. Knowing that we are here because He called us. We know from lots of studies that this is a phase that we have to go through. We try to keep our eyes focussed on the longer term view rather than the immediate. We know, like so many in recovery, that this is not a time to depend on our emotions and feelings. This is a time to push through knowing that God is with us. In it all we are excited to be here in Asia to see the work of recovery grow in the region.

We are now starting the process of preparing next year’s calendar. In short we are here to serve the ISAAC community in the region in whatever way we can. We are not here to tell people how to run their programs but we do want to help see the regular refreshing of staff skills. Working in the addiction field can be very stressful at any time and regular training and input from experienced teachers and mentors can help us all do our work at a better level with the outcome being that our clients/residents are better served.

We are here to serve. If anyone in the region would like to have us visit to do some training or just have someone to talk to about your work then please contact us so that we can make arrangements. Using the email warwick.murphy@isaacaustralasia.org is the best way to do this.

Those were the two words that I heard very strongly through a presentation at the World Federation Against Drugs conference in Gothenburg, Sweden in May. As I sat there in the conference hall I began to pray about what God might be saying to me specifically through this message to “Act. Now”. Before the end of the day God had made it very clear exactly what it was that he wanted me to do regarding a new ministry for an addictions and recovery organisations that I lead. Within two days I had made some considerable progress in setting the parameters for what we should be doing. It was something that for quite a while I had been saying “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could…”, but through the words of the speaker at the conference, which resonated strongly with my situation, I knew that God was saying that the time is now.

In thinking about this more, I was reminded of the time in the Bible when Jesus asked the disciples to feed lots of people. The disciples realised that the people were hungry, and suggested that they should be sent away. However Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” Act. Now. “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they replied. As we know, this was enough.

My encouragement to each one of us is this:
• Is there anything that Jesus is asking us to do right now? In our project, or in our own lives? Act. Now.
• What can we do with what we have already got? Act. Now.

This post comes from Treflyn-Lloyd Roberts, ISAAC General Secretary. Treflyn is based in the UK, and in combination with his role at ISAAC, leads a Christian rehabilitation center for men called Yeldall Manor.

In Spring this year, Dr. Jean LaCour handed the baton of ISAAC President to fellow member of the ISAAC International Steering Group, Tom Bremer. As an ISAAC President, Jean encouraged us with her words of wisdom and kindness. She brought the united Christians voice of ISAAC at various International gatherings to do with addiction and recovery, including at the United Nations. She hands the baton of ISAAC President to Tom Bremer, based in Portugal as the Head of European Teen Challenge.

Tom shares a few words:

Greetings to all of you in the ISAAC family!

It is a joy, honor, and pleasure to take up the mantel of ISAAC President. Also a big thanks to Jean who served before me! As many of you know, I am the leader of Teen Challenge in Europe (ETC). Many of our ETC members are already members of the ISAAC Coalition and have had the benefit of the fellowship and training. Through our membership to ISAAC, we are also in the process of developing at least two much closer working relationships with other organizations in ISAAC. These relationships will help us accomplish our shared goals of spreading the Gospel among the addicted and marginalized.

Behind this is the belief that we can not reach everyone alone, but together in ISAAC, all things become possible! I encourage you to continue to find this out for yourself.

How do you feel when you are misunderstood? Frustrated? Maybe rejected?

Jesus was probably the most misunderstood person that walked this earth. His mission was to reveal God incarnate, spread love and help people to think about a different Kingdom but most people, even His disciples, those closest to Him, got the location and heart of His kingdom totally wrong! (Mark 10:37). Imagine how frustrating it must have been for Jesus!

Philip Yancey, a well know American Christian Author, in his thought provoking book: ‘The Jesus I never knew’, which I found very inspiring, helped me to think about Jesus and His time on earth from a different perspective. Was Jesus really the Messiah? Most of us have asked the question at some time: Was Jesus really who He said He was? Yancey reflects: “Messiah who dies at age 33, a nation that goes downhill after its’ Saviours death, a world that grows more fractured not less” does not make us think of a victorious Messiah.

Or as Bonhoeffer said: “A King who dies on the cross must be King of a rather strange Kingdom”. There was much Jesus could have done to improve His popularity. Jesus “could have constructed Christendom not on four shaky Gospels” and 12 uneducated disciples but as a hero, as a solver of world peace and hunger as Malcolm Muggeridge says.

So how do you respond when you are misunderstood? We might have the best of intentions but people will still read us wrong. Maybe this is based on their view of us from our past, from our previous life of addiction. What can you do to help them understand you? Sadly for some only time will heal. Jesus showed great respect for our free will. God gave us total free will to accept or reject both Him and His Son “we are even free to defy God” (Yancey).

So who really is Jesus? Some of us will join with Napoleon Bonaparte who finally had to say of Jesus after looking at many other leaders of the world religions:“Everything in Him astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me. Beside Him and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly a being by Himself”. Many more people, me included, have given our lives over to Jesus, coming to the same realisation that He is the only Answer for all our questions.

CS Lewis said, Jesus had to be mad, bad or God. We can’t sit on the fence and merely call Him a good person or just another prophet. He has to be so so much more. Who else would make the claim that He is I AM (Ex 3:14 & John 8:54). This means a lot more to Jews, so you may need to do a bit of investigating here to find out for yourself. Basically in John’s Gospel Jesus was saying that He existed before Abraham. He was proclaiming His Divinity. A good person or a prophet would not be making these claims of himself, so He has to be God. Jesus quite simply is The Way. There is no other Way!

Have you come to this conclusion yourself?

This reflection comes from Chris Milton, Chaplain and Community Evangelist, OM Birmingham. Chris also coordinates the ISAAC Midlands regional group in the UK.

]]>https://www.isaac-international.org/jesus-identity-and-misunderstanding/feed/0Jesus the dual national: An Easter messagehttps://www.isaac-international.org/jesus-the-dual-national-an-easter-message/
https://www.isaac-international.org/jesus-the-dual-national-an-easter-message/#respondThu, 29 Mar 2018 10:26:00 +0000https://www.isaac-international.org/?p=2034“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being…in Him was LIFE… And the Word became flesh and we saw His glory…” Gospel of John, chapter 1 (NASB)

Easter Greetings to one and all!

It is a delight for me to share my heart with you this Easter. I’ve got some important news to share below too. It is a wonderful season for us to rejoice and be glad. As St.Augustine once said, we are a Alleluia people!

While contemplating the wonders of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our King, I‘ve also been meditating on His incarnation. Sometimes I forget just how mysterious and glorious it is that God became a human being! Imagine!!

Here’s an illustration our ISAAC family understands. Together we are over 1,000 people who come from over 100 nations! Many of you speak several languages and hold more than one passport.

It’s impossible for us to know what it felt like for Jesus to be the Son of God and a human being at the same time. Perhaps we can begin to understand if we think of a person who has two nationalities and lives in two different cultures.

People who have double citizenship sometimes think, speak, and act in one language and sometimes in another without realizing they have switched. Many of our ISAAC friends will be thinking in Arabic or Chinese or Russian, even seeing these letters in their minds, while they are speaking in English. Amazing!

For Jesus it was natural to operate at times in His human nature and at other times in His divine nature. He could switch back and forth seamlessly with an internal consistency and knowing that set Him apart from all others. His divine nature was not limited or confined in any way!

Jesus clearly did this in Luke chapter 10: 1 – 24. Enjoy this passage and see how thrilled He was that everyday human beings were experiencing the unfolding Plan of Heaven!

Imagine if you can: From heaven He willed to descend into our earth realm, to be born in a virgin’s womb, to go about the earth doing supernatural deeds, to hang upon the cross, to conquer the great enemies of the human race (sin, Satan, the curse, death and the grave), to burst forth from the tomb in a glorified body, to spend time caring for His earthly followers, and then, to ascend victoriously to heaven. The tomb could not hold him!

You and I have two passports! We move across earthly borders with over 100 earthly passports but the source of our joyful fellowship and the love we share comes from knowing each other as fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God. It is a mystery that Jesus lives in us and fills our hearts with His supernatural compassion to truly care for people suffering in the bondage of addiction. We know the reality of His transforming power!

My Easter prayer is that we may grow in our love for God and for one another. May we proclaim with great joy, the mystery of our faith: Alleluia, Alleluia, Christ Our Lord is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

I also have some great ISAAC family news: Our dear friend and colleague Tom Bremer will be stepping into the role of President of ISAAC this spring! Tom and his wife Terry live in Portugal where he serves as the Director of European Teen Challenge. Many of us know and admire Tom for his wisdom, grace and generosity of spirit. You will be hearing more from Tom and Treflyn in the days ahead.

Since our first ISAAC Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in 2010, I have been delighted to serve as your President and meet so many of you face to face! It’s been an honor to represent our fellowship the last eight years – across six continents, in churches and ministries, in rehabs, at professional gatherings, and at the United Nations. But best of all, is when we come together and marvel at what the Lord has done across the globe through our wonderful ISAAC family! Bravo!!

We are keen that Christian addiction workers are aware of all the relevant organisations that you can be part of. Two such secular membership organisations are:Word Federation Against Drugs: WFAD is a multilateral community of non-governmental organisations and individuals. They share a common concern that illicit drug use is undercutting traditional values and threatening the existence of stable families, communities, and government institutions throughout the world. Together they work for a drug-free world. Learn more about WFAD here: www.wfad.se

Their next annual Conference will be in Gothenburg, Sweden in May. Some ISAAC members will be attending. If you are intending to go and would like to connect with other ISAAC members who will be present, please contact us.

International Society of Substance Use Professionals: ISSUP is a global network that works to support the development of a professional prevention and treatment network. It serves as a focal point for information about substance use prevention and treatment. They have regional chapters across the world and have a keen interest in knowledge sharing. Find out more here: www.issup.net

]]>https://www.isaac-international.org/organisations-you-should-know-about/feed/0Save the date!https://www.isaac-international.org/save-the-date/
https://www.isaac-international.org/save-the-date/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2018 13:50:28 +0000https://www.isaac-international.org/?p=2021We are delighted to announce that the next ISAAC UK Conference will be on Saturday 6th October, 2018 (please note the change).

ISAAC conferences are times of learning and connecting, underpinned by a sense of belonging to a wider family of believers doing amazing work in the addictions field. The day will have times of fellowship, excellent training, and rare opportunities to learn about other projects.

If you would like to book a stall please register your interest ASAP with Mary Halsey (mary@isaac-international.org) as there will be limited spaces.

Here’s a flavor of what you can expect: 2017 Conference talks. Last year’s delegates shared: “It has been a privilege hearing each one of the speakers” ; “We’ve made so many quality connections by displaying our stall here today” ; “Networking opportunities have been amazing and really helpful”.

So, save the date and keep an eye on our newsletters for registration!

Being transformed into the image of God and doing what God wants us to do is the something all committed Christians aim for. Yet, oftentimes we are doing the very thing we hate, not what we would like to do (Romans 7:15). We might suffer from the snare of addiction, some wrong habit or self-destructive behaviour. Good intentions and right motivation are not always enough. What is really needed in these scenarios is honest self-exploration, healing of emotional wounds and memories.

The Genesis Program is designed for those people who want to change those habits which stand in the way of them acquiring God’s character. Many problems can be resolved when we take responsibility for their solution, when we stop looking around pointing the finger, and learn to become genuine with ourselves, God and other people. When we are changing, it inevitably affects others, who were part of our difficult situation.

Groups

Support groups are one the main features of the program. Participants learn to be real in groups. They learn to explore their hearts, experience their own change and encourage others recovery journey. This format means that participants do not wallow in self-pity and egocentrism; and can see that they are not alone in their struggles and can look at their situation from a different perspective.

Since 2009 Genesis ministries started its work in Ukraine, mostly in Kiev and the surrounding area. There are several support groups meeting weekly, with participants coming from different churches. Witnessing real changes in people’s lives, more churches have come forward to host Genesis ministry seminars.

At the end of May 2017, a seminar on the Genesis Process was held near Lviv (Ukraine). The church ‘God’s Covering’ hosted and around 30 people took part. Following the training participants continue applying acquired knowledge in weekly support groups. In 2017, for the first time a seminar was held for those people who have gone through the Genesis program and are looking to help multiply the work.

Healing stories

“I really needed healing of my emotional wounds and past memories, and it happened with the Lord’s help through Genesis support groups. I understood that having such wounds creates a serious obstacle to our spiritual growth. We take a step of faith, but instantaneously are thrown back two steps because of the past wounds, and it becomes a vicious circle. The Lord helped me to react to people’s anger in the right way, that is, stop ‘hiding’, get rid of my ‘all is well’ mask, and from constantly rescuing others. I’m deeply grateful to Him!” Alyona, 42 years old

A group meeting

I came to Genesis support groups because I needed to deal with addiction. Lately I would often go somewhere to have a glass of alcohol and relax, but afterwards come home drunk late at night. I didn’t like it and neither did my wife who was so upset because of my drinking.

Having joined the group, I initially thought that ‘exploring myself’ is meaningless, since I’m sensible enough and have no ‘inner’ problems. However, studying one topic after another I understood what was going on inside of me before I went out and got drunk. I noticed that throughout the day I was angry and irritable, thought badly about my subordinates, then ‘dealt’ with stress and anger in the evening.

Since God helped me to see and deal with irritability and anger I communicate with my staff more calmly. There is no need to cool down after work and I was able to quit drinking.Evgenij, 27 years old

]]>https://www.isaac-international.org/change-is-possible/feed/0ISAAC Member at Tackling Doping in Sport 2017 Conferencehttps://www.isaac-international.org/isaac-member-at-tackling-doping-in-sport-2017-conference/
https://www.isaac-international.org/isaac-member-at-tackling-doping-in-sport-2017-conference/#respondTue, 23 May 2017 13:49:15 +0000https://www.isaac-international.org/?p=1803Mr. Ikenna Molobe, Director of Unified Initiative for a Drug Free Nigeria, presented a paper at the 2017 Tackling Doping in Sport conference – held on 8 and 9 March at the Hilton London Wembley. Mr. Ikenna Molobe who is also an ISAAC Member from Nigeria delivered his paper on ‘Situational Assessment on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of drug use and abuse among Nigerian Sports Men and Women’.

The impetus of the event was to better protect sportsmen and women from doping. The conference welcomed over 320 delegates from over 45 countries and across the sporting disciplines, who were witness to poignant discussions of very topical issues concerning the state of anti-doping in sport. The issues discussed included how to regain confidence in the global anti-doping system, Therapeutic Use Exemptions, the use of sports supplements, protecting athlete data, whistleblowing, athletes’ appeals against doping-related Court of Arbitration for Sport (‘CAS’) awards, a review of the International Paralympic Committee’s (‘IPC’) decision to suspend Russia, and sports governance.

Ikenna Molobe began his session by explaining that a recent study was carried out to investigate awareness and knowledge of drug abuse in Nigerian sports and consisted of 345 participants from a wide range of sports and with a varied level of education. Presenting the results, Molobe concluded that better education would help prevent doping in Nigeria. Molobe explained that 56% of respondents said they felt that most sporting records are due to drug use, with the wrong attitude and beliefs being seen as a reason for doping. Molobe identified that more research is needed to develop an effective prevention strategy. Recommendations made by the study include that an anti-doping education and training programme should be continuous and mandatory for those in the sporting community; such education should be aimed at young people to prevent doping becoming the “norm” and Government and private sectors should fund and promote anti-doping research. Molobe stated that in order to support the advocacy programme in Nigeria, more research needs to be carried out. The Government previously did not see doping as a problem in Nigeria, but Molobe said that he hoped this study

Ikenna at New Hope, UK

would change their view. When asked if the research had received any feedback, Molobe replied that there had been feedback from the national sports commission but that it has also been submitted to the Government, and they were trying to push it harder to gain more recognition.

Tackling Doping in Sport is an annual conference organised by World Sports Advocate (formerly World Sports Law Report) – a monthly publication dedicated to providing expert analysis on the evolving legal and regulatory landscape for sport.

During this conference, Ikenna Molobe was hosted by the ISAAC community in UK who also facilitated his visit to members’ project; New Hope and Yeldall Manor, drug addiction rehabilitation homes.

In my role as part of ISAAC International’s public face I am privileged and delighted to accept invitations to represent our network to others who are doing similar work. Myself and other Europe-based ISAAC members recently attended the Christian Recovery conference held in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina in late-March/early-April and the European Teen Challenge gathering in Rimini, Italy in May. I want to share why these meetings have been so important:

Humility: I was humbled to hear the many testimonies of how God has changed lives through the many programmes in the Balkans. It is too easy to get so wrapped up in our work, mission and calling that we can become oblivious to God’s power at work in other’s lives.

Honesty: I was moved to hear the honest stories of ongoing issues that people in recovery face as they continue to live out their new lives. There is a depth and openness that I can expect when I meet with people in recovery and I find this across borders.

Eye-opening: The Christian Recovery conference was taking place in a part of the world with such a complex history. I saw afresh the crippling combination of trauma and addiction that I do not see to this degree in my day-to-day work in the UK. Despite this, it was great to see people from many different nations and cultures come together to worship and fellowship with each other freely.

Relationships: At the Teen Challenge conference in Italy it was fantastic to meet a significant number of ISAAC members from many parts of the continent who are also part of Teen Challenge. As ever, the teaching sessions and worship were fantastic, and ISAAC is so grateful to Teen Challenge for its on-going support of the network – and especially to Tom Bremer as the leader of Europe Teen Challenge. It was good to build on existing contacts and also to make new connections.

It is my passion to see ISAAC members across the globe seek to expand their networks: first, outside their organisations to their towns; next their states and nations; and finally internationally. If you were to take a step today to connect with others in addictions/recovery work outside your circle, what would it be?